Your choice. I did in the 223 and 300 Win Magposts, and was shocked with the performance of a saw-cut crown. cylinder gap + The Winchester 147 grain FMJ load lost 543 feet/second as the barrel length decreased from 15 to 8. The IMI Samson 150 grain FMJ is a 7.62x51mm NATO spec cartridge. With barrels, one wonders Can a little more length provide a meaningful velocity gain? To answer that question, Rifleshooter.com performed an interesting test, cutting a .308 Win barrel from 28 all the way down to 16.5. Ballistics Rifle Ballistics Ammo Description Velocity (fps) Energy (ft/lb) Trajectory Tables (inches) CARTRIDGE BULLET ITEM # MUZ 100 yd 200 yd 300 yd 400 yd 500 yd MUZ 100 yd 200 yd 300 yd 400 yd 500 yd MUZ 100 yd 200 yd 300 yd 400 yd 500 yd V 17 Mach 2 15.5 gr. .277 Fury has a -41 inch drop at 500 yards . While U.S. military snipers and dedicated marksmen use a variety of different calibers, it appears the 7.6251 is here to stay for the foreseeable future. All in all, this was a very thorough test by the folks at RifleShooter.com. I like it a lot. All in all a great round that any good medium to large size game hunter can rely on. If you have a modern .308 Win. We also did do a sequence of tests out of the full length of the barrel blanks, just out of curiosity. And thanks to our spouses, who were not just tolerant but enthusiastically supportive Contrary to the popular urban legend, 7.62 NATO casings do indeed have thicker walls than .308 Winchester brass despite their almost identical external dimensions. The vast majority of rifles, carbines, and pistols chambered in .308 Winchester can safely sling 7.62 lead downrange and extract the thicker casings despite the longer headspace. At each barrel length, the rifle was fired from a front rest with rear bags, with five rounds of each type of ammunition. You may not reproduce original text or photos without advanced permission in writing. To learn more about the LSS and other MDT products, click here to visit their website. Interestingly, these numbers jive pretty well with estimates found in reloading manuals. I got the longest blank I could and went from there. Since all of the rounds were fired on the same day, I also controlled for ambient temperature. Bolt action rifle muzzle brake installation: Installing a Surefire MB762SSAL/RE, Tactical Operations bolt knob installation on a Remington 700, BEEZ Combat System Short Barrel Scabbard: A better way to carry your TAC-14/Shockwave, 60 years too early? When we cut our 6mmBR barrel down from 33 to 28, we only lost about 8 FPS per inch. Take this into consideration when comparing calibers using our Ive found this makes cutting the barrel and mounting the MagnetoSpeed easier. Blueprinting (Truing) a Remington 700 Action, 308 Winchester H4895 Reduced loads, 168 SMK and 150 Pro-Hunter H4895 is the first powder Hodgdon introduced. Selecting the best barrel length for the .300 BLK can be a double-edged sword. 0. Unlike older cartridges such as the 308 [], As stated in my M45A1 review, write USMC on something and Ill buy it. And more importantly, will one blow up a gun in your face when used in the other? If you think that you discover an error (perhaps a typo) in the data, just drop us a For antelope hunters on the Wyoming plains and snipers providing overwatch in the Hindu Kush, there is no difference. Looking for the perfect accessories to accompany your new .308 or 7.6251 rifle? I think the value of this data is worth the time, effort and expense. Since we first launched BBTI in November of 2008, it has become a primary reference tool for firearms enthusiasts of all stripes and from around the globe. calibers/cartridges + That said, we wouldnt make a habit of it. The .308 Winchester / 7.62x51mm NATO was created in 1952 and is based on the .300 savage round a round created in 1920. It will a produce a line graph showing the bullet drop and flight path of the bullet. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. No, and yes. Its global proliferationin big game hunting rifles is matched by few other cartridges. The IMI 150 grain FMJ 7.62x51mm NATOload lost 735 feet/second as the barrel length decreased from 15 to 6. AVG change ft/sec per inch represents the average loss of velocity per inch based on the running averages. Much Different Results with 6mmBR and a Longer Barrel _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); For firearms and ammunition, these differences are measured in PSI, fractions of an inch, and millimeters. Never miss a post! Published Mar 29, 2021 12:55 PM EDT. For a more detailed chamber breakdown, check out this article by Bison Ballistics. If you have a newer 7.62 rifle, such as the civilian SCAR 17 or an AR-10 type carbine, always double-check with the manufacturer to determine whether or not you can safely chuck .308 rounds downrange. Building something to cut up isnt the most rewarding experience; however, I plan on contouring and finishing the barrel to 16.25 (thats why I stopped at 16.5). The answer may surprise you. I think he may be misquoting his source. the cylinder gap. How to Sight in a Scope - Step by Step Guide. This was noticeable from 19 inches and below. Of course, this all takes place within mere fractions of a second. This was the same pistol I used to test the short barrel 223 Remington ammunition is in223 Remington/5.56mm NATO Barrel length versus Velocity- Short Barrels- 6 to 14 inches. If you take a look at the series posts (below) on my 16.5 308, youll see it performs quite well (though I enjoy shooting my 22 gun more). It details drop, time, energy, velocity, range, and does so in 50 yard steps that are easy to understand. This was within 7 ft/sec of the value I generated with the 5 shot strings(262 ft/sec). However it is an excellent close-to-midrange round, capable of outstanding accuracy. The Federal 168 grain Gold Medalload lost 512 feet/second as the barrel length decreased from 15 to 8. Note the change in MPBR averages 27 yards with an 11.5 inch change in barrel length. Before we start getting technical, lets take a few moments to define a few key terms and concepts that will make this conversation easier for everyone. The test protocol was repeated for the next length. My calculations assume a 1.75 sight over bore height. The .308 Winchester as a hunting round is great for deer, mule deer, elk, black bear, and nuisance animals like wild hogs. The test protocol was repeated for the next length. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. 308 Winchester Barrel Length and Velocity: Winchester 147 grain FMJ, 7.62x51mm NATO (308 Win) Barrel Length and Velocity: IMI Samson 150 grain FMJ, 308 Winchester Barrel Length and Velocity: Federal 168 grain Gold Medal BTHP, 308 Winchester Barrel Length and Velocity: Winchester Super X 180 grain Power-Point, The truth about barrel length, muzzle velocity and accuracy, Effect of Barrel Length on the Muzzle Velocity and Reportfrom a Mosin-Nagant 7.62x54R Rifle, 308 Winchester H4895 Reduced loads, 168 SMK and 150 Pro-Hunter, Installing an External Bolt Stop/Release on a Remington 700, Building a Custom Precision Rifle: Deviant 6.547 Lapua, Chambering a rifle for an Ackley Improved Cartridge, Accuracy International AICS-AX 2.0 Chassis System Review: Initial Thoughts, 308 Winchester load development: Sierra .308 195 gr. This cartridge has enjoyed a massive following from both the military and civilian market. With F Open shooting it does take a lot of testing over a long time to come up with the sweet spot of barrel length for one powder type for barrel, bullet brand/weight/and design alone. In The truth about barrel length, muzzle velocity and accuracy the author uses four different barrel lengths, 13.5, 16, 18 and 26.5, and eight different cartridges. The 6.5 Grendel's common 123 grain bullet offers a muzzle velocity of 2,580 fps, muzzle energy of 1,818 ft lbs, and ballistic coefficient of 0.506. The rifle with a shorter barrel was louder. The results from Rifleshooter.coms .308 barrel cut-down test are quite different than the results we recorded some years ago with a barrel chambered for the 6mmBR cartridge. My 22 308 Winchester (above) is my favorite rifle to shoot. the Excel data sheets, with the muzzle energy calculations added in red, on the raw 30-30 Ballistics Chart & Coefficient. Contact the author here. Thanks for the kinds words about the 308 and 300 Win barrel length posts. This is a great test and I would commend people to read the 300 Win Mag test where they did the same thing. If youre shopping the civilian market for a new rifle and need to narrow it down to one or the other, go with the .308 Winchester option. If you liked this postsubscribe to this blog (top right corner of page). Fear not. No, personally, it seems like a silly idea to me. Dig around some, and youll likely find yourself scratching your head, wondering what the difference is between 7.62 and .308 rounds. Ive been beating on the 510 and 517 for a while. Red Oak, White, or Chestnut for Deer Herd? A. Yes, it did. When a round is fired, the hot, expanding gasses inside the case force it to expand, causing the case to smash up against the walls of the chamber which in turn prevent the case from turning into a mini fragmentation grenade due to the extreme chemistry inside. Do you trust the results from the MagnetoSpeed? Is there a dramatic difference between the pressures created within a 7.62 NATO case and a .308 Winchester case? Once data was gathered for each cartridge at a given barrel length, the rifle was cleared and the bolt was removed. Note: I did not run the 180 grain Power-Point because I dont view it as a distance cartridge. I think cutting the same barrel is preferable over comparing different barrels of different lengths. Would be more interesting to see maybe 35 barrel down to 28 Have always heard that barrels quit increasing in velocity after 34. Read on, and it will all make sense. 20" seems to be ideal for the 7/08 and the 308. from 18" to 20" on a 7/08 I gained almost 200 ft/sec. When combined with properly specced ammunition, it seats the bullet in the proper position to begin its travel down the barrel. (function() { When the U.S. Army began developing the 7.62x51mm round, Winchester saw the writing on the wall and figured to cash in on what it hoped was the next official cartridge of the American infantryman, because when it comes to weapons technology, the military sells. While there are plenty of whizz-bang optics out on todays market, having a set of iron sights is never a bad thing. The U.S. Army lists the 7.62s effective range (and thus, the .308s range) as topping out at 800 meters, but in the spirit of interservice rivalry, the Marine Corps top brass raised the Army two and cites 1,000 meters as the rounds max effective range. So what does the charting of the .308 Winchester's external ballistics tell us exactly? That is actually not correct. the firearms community. Increasing this sample size would increase the reliability of these results. In fact the .308 Winchester 165gr bullet is traveling faster at 1000 yards than the .223 or 7.62x39mm at just 500 yds. Over the past few years, Rifleshooter.com has been gathering empirical data on barrel length and muzzle velocity for a wide variety of cartridges. All 7.6251 rounds are cool for use in the proper NATO weapon, but 7.62x39 is the original caliber of the infamous AK-47. Super-X Hollow Point has stated muzzle velocity of 2390 fps. The 180 grain .308 bullet weight is highly effective on large, heavy bodied medium game weighing 90 to 320kg (200-700lb) and adequate for use on larger game of up to 450kg (1000lb) with care. The 7.6251 NATO chamber is imperceptibly longer than the .308 Winchester, extending between 0.006 and 0.010 inches beyond the .308 SAAMI specs. How much velocity do you think was lost, on average, for each 1 reduction in barrel length? It seems like the 7.62x39mm Russian performance is optimum at a 16 barrel length. Turning a sporter contour rifle barrel from a blank, 6.5 Creedmoor loads: 107 SMK IMR 8208 XBR and 142 SMK Superformance 6.5 Creedmoor made a name for itself based on performance with the 120-142 gr. Is the file picture at the top of the page real, or photoshopped? The latter has nearly twice the propellant, and is therefore better able to fell very distant game. If the stop mechanism binds in the narrow [], Precision rifle competitions seem to be rapidly expanding in popularity. I may wear a lab coat to kick things up another notch next time. *Casing image above is an artist rendering and not a real photo of .308 Winchester (7.62mm NATO) Ballistics cartridge. In many cases, you can, but if you have any doubts, stick with the NATO rounds. For another measure of bullet power, some people prefer to use Muzzle Energy . The statistics shown above demonstrate the advanced speed capabilities of the 6mm ARC. The headspace on this pistol measured 1.630 (SAAMI minimum), this was .003 less that when the barrel was installed on the rifle (1.633). over what ammo or caliber or gun is "best." Looking for a two-minute summary of the differences between 7.62x51mm NATO and .308 Winchester? Here is a list of all 23 different data sets we have tested. The short answers to these questions are yes and maybe. To make the test even more interesting, four different types of .308 Win factory ammunition were chronographed at each barrel length. A. Velocity loss per inch of barrel was .6 ft/sec away (22.8 ft/sec)from the value calculated with 5 shot strings. 308 Winchester/ 7.62x51mm NATO Short barrel length and velocity- A six inch 308 bolt gun? Do a search on the internet for 7.6251, and you will get results for 7.62 NATO, .308 Winchester, and multiple variants thereof. 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